As if the title itself weren’t intriguing enough, the first scene of Naomi Iizuka’s new play, “Garuda’s Wing,” is visually stunning.
A backdrop extends the width of the Magic Theatre’s stage: a video of a lush, dense, dizzyingly green forest in Borneo, replete with gigantic butterflies and a fleeting glimpse of an orangutan. That backdrop created by Joan Osato morphs throughout the 90-minute (intermission-less) drama and is never less than riveting.
That first scene is especially intriguing. It’s set inside a rustic hut (bed, desk, dim lantern light, in Tanya Orellana’s set design) in the midst of the forest, in media res, as two characters enter: primatologist Ellen (played by Nora el Samahy with her usual depth and focus), whose single-minded life’s mission is to save her beloved, rapidly threatened orangutan species, and Michael, a photojournalist (a particularly appealing Juan Amador), who is here, or so he says, on an assignment.
In their rapid-fire dialogue, as deftly directed by Margo Hall, she’s eagle-eyed, defensive, provocative. He appears taken aback by her aggression. Their dynamics are full of potential. We want to know more about them, much more.
When, later, the two return from exploring the muddy river, searching for the ever-vanishing orangutans, he’s covered in mud and venomous insects, gasping at the difficult life she’s chosen. “What use is an easy love,” she retorts, “a love that doesn’t break your heart?” Iizuka’s script — a succession of scenes that look at environmental issues and the soullessness of modern life and more through many characters and perspectives, and over decades from 1998 to 2058—has many such musings, both philosophical and deeply, emotionally anguished.
Early on we’re swept up in a mystery involving, possibly, ghosts and murder. And we learn lots and lots about the flora and fauna of the jungle, including the titular Garuda’s Wing (named after a god) and other rare species, and the 19th-century naturalist who apparently knew as much as the wealthy Charles Darwin but being poor, was unable to compete.
There are many more characters, whose paths through life are connected in various ways. Interesting as they all are, we never get to know any of them enough to really care about them. They’re introduced, and the story moves on to the next set of characters.
The actors do a bang-up job of creating those characters, from el Samahy and Amador to Catherine Castellanos’ anguished botanist to Mia Tagano’s sharp-eyed doyenne of what was once Dr. Sewell’s pristine site, to Jeunée Simon’s lost and bereft big pharma rep. All the characters, including Sewell’s daughter, deserve a play of their own.
Also, the environmental issues, as worthy as they are, tend toward the didactic—each scene is too long, too talky, packed with too much information to process. (An advisory in the press packet itemizing the play’s topics—gun violence against women of color, deforestation, occupation and genocide, Alzheimer’s, breakthrough of black femme individuals and even more—speaks for itself.)
In the end, what stands out is the gorgeous video design, Hall’s adept staging and especially the complex but elusive characters themselves. Each one, and each issue under discussion, deserves a stand-alone play.
“Garuda’s Wing” continues through June 23 at Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco. Tickets are $35 to $75 at (415) 441-8822 and magictheatre.org.